Monday, March 13, 2017

Desegregation and Basketball at Vol State Book Event

Basketball collides with
desegregation in a book about two childhood friends from Gallatin.“More
Than Rivals” is the
story of how those two high school students found themselves on the frontline
of Civil Rights in Tennessee. This coming Thursday, Vol State will host “More Than Rivals: A Conversation with Bill Ligon & Eddie Sherlin.”
Joining them will be the New York Times best-selling author of the book, Ken
Abraham.This is how the book publisher describes the story. “Eddie
Sherlin and Bill Ligon were two boys living on opposite sides of the tracks in
Gallatin in the 1960s. They shared a passion for basketball. Despite the
barriers they knew divided them, including the separation of their schools and
the colors of their skin, Eddie and Bill found friendship on the basketball
court. By 1970, the process of desegregation was in full-swing and had everyone
on edge. All-white Gallatin High and all-black Union High would become one.
First, the two schools would face one another in the basketball championship
game. This game suddenly held a deeper meaning for the people of Gallatin.”Ligon and
Sherlin will discuss this important part of our local history and how the book
“More Than Rivals” came to be. Author Ken Abraham has written about the lives
of many famous Americans ranging from astronaut Buzz Aldrin to boxer George
Foreman.“More Than Rivals: A
Conversation with Bill Ligon & Eddie Sherlin.” will be held starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Wemyss Auditorium of Caudill
Hall. It is free and
open to everyone. Pizza and refreshments will be provided and copies of the
book available for sale. The speaking engagement is sponsored by Vol State
Thigpen Library, Vol State Student Life, Phi Theta Kappa, Vol State Athletics,
Sumner County Schools, and Gallatin and Portland public libraries. For more
information visit www.volstate.edu/rivals,
call 615-230-3400 or email librarian@volstate.edu